Slip resistant ski boot protection apparatus

ABSTRACT

A flexible, rollable sole having a thin elastic or rubber cord attached thereto in parallel to and at a distance from the sole edge, the elastic cord fits around the ski boot at the junction of the sole and upper, the elastic cord extends around the boot at the level of the sole. The attachment may comprise a plurality of extensions of the plastic or rubber cord. In embodiments pair of soles sufficient to completely cover the toe and heel of the boot have a short gap therebetween. In embodiments a thin elastic hand holds a fabric upper body in place. Large loops allow a user to easily manipulated the device wearing ski gloves, a band, fastener or hook may be used to hold the device to its companion device or in the rolled up position or around the boot shaft while the user is skiing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This invention claims the priority and benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/626,355 filed Nov. 9, 2004 in the name of thesame inventor, Frederick Robert May, and entitled “SLIP RESISTANT SKIBOOT PROTECTION SYSTEM”, via co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.11/270,419, filed Nov. 0, 2005 and also entitled “SLIP RESISTANT SKIBOOT PROTECTION APPARATUS”.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH

This invention was not made under contract with an agency of the USGovernment, nor by any agency of the US Government.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to ski boots, and specifically to skiboot protectors and traction aids.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ski boots are specialized boots which serve several functions. They areintended to retain the warmth of the user's foot in cold conditions.Famously, they move the site of any broken leg up the shin bone and awayfrom the ankle, thus providing an easier medical fix in the event of abroken leg.

On a more mundane level, ski boots are designed, dimensioned andconfigured to physically cooperate with a ski binding so as to lock theboot and the ski together firmly, thus allowing the user to control theski with confidence and precision. The fittings, projections andindentations on the ski boot sole exactly match (in a complementarymatch) the fittings, projections and apertures on the ski binding,indeed, the size and shape of the planform or outline of the boot soleis crucial to this physical engagement to the ski binding. The planformof a ski boot sole is a squared off rectangle very different frompractically any other type of footwear. The sole has a specific shapeand size in addition to having various devices thereon, and the primarypurpose of these devices and the shape of the sole is simply to providea secure and strong engagement to the ski. As a result, a ski boot inoutline and planform resembles no other footwear. The sole may projectat front and/or back, the sole may be a considerably narrower shape thanthe uppers of the boot above it and so on.

Walking on ski boots is initially disconcerting, but most users pick upthe trick quickly. After that, a pair of new problems with walking onski boots quickly emerges. The first is lack of traction. The ski bootis not shaped for walking with good traction, rather it is shaped to fitto a ski binding. Unlike most footwear, it is even possible to losetraction and have a foot slip sideways. Front and back slips occurfrequently too, especially considering that most ski boot walking occurson the icy surface between the parking lot and popular ski runs or onthe tile floors many “bottom of the ski run” businesses provide fortheir customers. This problem tends to yield to practice on the part ofthe user, which only exacerbates the other problem: damage and wear onthe ski boot soles.

The devices on the ski boot sole are not intended for walking, they areprecisely designed for physical engagement to ski bindings. The devices(generally “projections, indentations and fittings” in this application)are easily damaged or worn by being used as traction devices or treadsby walking users. Even short walks can damage the devices enough tocause problems or even safety issues, since the fit of sole to bindingis very precise in some regards. Most ski boot soles are quite strongmaterials which the maker may hope will minimize such issues.

One known solution to the traction issue is the family of hard plasticsnap on devices which have numerous cleats on one side and on the otherside fit either the toe or heel of the ski boot. This solves tractionproblems and even provides a degree of protection at ski boottoes/heels.

A problem with such rigid devices is that they are also somewhatdifficult to handle and store when not in use, being essentially squaresof hard plastic with cleats on them. A worse problem is that in use,such devices can be fiendishly difficult to put on and take off. Thenon-elastic plastic construction means that the user has to struggle toget the device in place. The shape and configuration of such devicesfurther ensures that it is very difficult to tell front from back whilebundled up and wearing ski goggles.

Two other problems occur with the hard plastic snap on devices. Thefirst such problem is that the devices tend to stretch over time. As aresult of stretching, they eventually begin to fall off. While walking,the normal skier simply has very little ability to see such devices atall, as they attach to the bottom of the ski boots. In addition, thetypical walker in ski boots concentrates on skis, poles, packs, lifttickets and similar encumbrances. Thus, the absence of the tractiondevice may go un-noticed. The second problem with such devices is thatmakers tend to compensate for the stretching problem by making thetolerances of the devices as tight as possible, thus making the deviceseven harder to get on or even off. A fully encumbered skier must thenfight with a device securely attached to the bottom of the ski boot whennew, or stretched and absent when old.

In the unrelated field of more mundane footwear, a different problem hasled to a different structure for solution. Dress shoes may be equippedwith a rubber “partial galoshes” which comprise a unitary rubber treadand minimal upper of one or two inches tall (2.5-5 cm tall). Being asingle unit of rubber makes such devices water proof, allowing wearersof dress shoes to chance muddy city streets with a bit less trepidation.Such devices cannot fit onto a ski boot, being dimensioned andconfigured to fit upon a normal dress shoe.

U.S. Design Pat. No. 394,740, to Poust on Jun. 2, 1998, and U.S. DesignPat. No. 377,710 dated Feb. 4, 1997, teach an overshoe type devicehaving numerous holes therethrough. They do not appear to teachstructures relating to ski boots.

U.S. Design Pat. No. 340,123, dated Oct. 12, 1993 to Howey, Jr., teachesa hard device of ribs with hinged clips to secure it to footgear.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,982, dated Dec. 5, 2000 and in the name of Bell etal, teaches another device of numerous holes through a rubber or plasticbody.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,578, granted Apr. 4, 2000 to Ketz teaches anon-elastic device having a heel portion, a toe portion and straps tohold it together and onto footwear.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,334, issued Sep. 14, 1999 to Gerhardt teaches a toetrap and a hook and loop strap across the ankle to hold it to footwear.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,945, Jun. 8, 1999 to Noy teaches a network of metalencrusted bands across the bottom of footwear, having no true sole.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,339, issued Mar. 17, 1998 to inventor Owen teaches adevice having a set of strap arrangements for use around the angle of aski boot.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,915, issued Sep. 2, 1997 in the name of Smithteaches a shoe, perhaps an athletic shoe, having a removable spikeplate.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,578, in the name of Voight and issued Feb. 23, 1993,shows a plate which is clamped on with a screw or other arrangement atthe toe.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,798, dated Sep. 1, 1992 and issued in the nameKaufman et al teaches a multi-part high upper assembly which hassignificant straps for support.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,883, dated Mar. 27, 1990 to Zock, Jr, teaches ametal frame with aggressive sets of spikes thereon.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,672, granted Jul. 4, 1989 to Fasse teaches anoversole and carrier combination which is stiff and quite bulky.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,504, granted Mar. 14, 1989 to Bunke, teaches anotherstiff plate, with fore and aft holding devices.

It would be preferable to provide a device capable of providing asubstantial tread for increased traction.

It would further be preferable to provide a device which a user withcold fingers encased in bulky ski gloves could easily put on, take offand store when not in use.

It would further be preferable to provide a device which is easy to usedue to a lack of complex or mechanical attachments to a boot.

It would further be preferable to provide a device which the user caneasily see on their boot when in use, and which is less susceptible tofalling off un-noticed.

It would be very much preferable to provide a device which could bequickly and easily manufactured at low cost.

It would further be very much preferable to provide a device which couldbe stored by means of being rolled up, or secured around the ankle of aboot when NOT in use, put into a pocket without danger to the fabric ofthe pocket or the like.

It would yet further be preferable to provide a device with large easilyviewed indicia of front and back directions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

General Summary

A ski boot protector fits on the sole of a ski boot due to beingdimensioned and configured to wrap around the sole of the ski boot atthe toe and heel of the ski boot, even extending across a portion of thetop of the projecting sole. An elastic or rubber rim holds front andback invention sole portions in place, a flexible tread providesprotection for the ski boot sole from the ground, snow or ice walked onwhile being flexible enough to allow the device to roll up for easystorage in a pocket when not being worn. Large loops are dimensioned andconfigured to allow a user to easily manipulated the device wearing skigloves, a hook or a hook-and-loop fabric band may be used to hold thedevice to its companion device or to hold it in the rolled up position.

An arrow device or hook-and-loop fabric band may also be used to storethe device around the boot shaft while the user is skiing and thus notusing the device, and significantly, allows a user to quickly determinefront and back ends of the device even under snowy conditions.

In the presently preferred embodiment and best mode now contemplated,the device may also have a pair of soles sufficient to completely orpartially cover the ground contacting portions of a ski boot sole (toeand heel), and with a rising upper at the toe and heel to surround thevertical thickness of the ski boot toe and heel and short lip around thetop ends to project onto the top portion of the boot sole, with a shortgap between the heel sole and toe sole, so as to further increaseflexibility and allow even easier rolling and storage.

Embodiments of the device may be made by injection molding, compressionmolding or the like.

Summary in Reference to Claims

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention, in addition to those discussed previously, to provide aski boot traction aid for ski boots having large soles dimensioned andconfigured to accept a ski binding and thus having substantialprojections of the sole beyond the upper at the front end and rear endof the boot, the traction aid comprising:

-   -   a stretchable body dimensioned and configured to exceed the size        of such ski boot sole at the front and rear ends of the boot;    -   the body having front and rear soles, the soles connected by at        least three stretchable bands attached to both front and rear        soles;    -   a front lip of the body at a top end of a front projection of        the front sole, the front lip disposed at the top of such        projection at the front end of the boot when the device is in        use on the boot, the elastic strong enough to hold the        stretchable body securely to such ski boot sole;    -   a rear lip of the body at a top end of a rear projection of the        rear sole, the rear lip disposed at the top of such projection        at the rear end of the boot when the device is in use on the        boot, the elastic strong enough to hold the stretchable body        securely to such ski boot sole;    -   a large loop attached to the traction aid at one end, the loop        large enough to allow easy manipulation by an individual wearing        bulky ski gloves;    -   a tread attached to at least one side of the soles, the tread        being a material flexible enough to roll up when not in use.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a ski boot traction aid wherein the front andrear soles further comprise: a plurality of irregularities on bottomsurfaces to increase traction.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a ski boot traction aid further comprising:

-   -   a large fastener portion of the large loop, the fastener portion        having a thicker head and a thinner body; and    -   a small loop disposed on the end of the aid distal the large        loop, the thicker head of the large loop, when passed through        the small loop, holding the device in a rolled up configuration.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a ski boot traction aid the large fastenerfurther comprising:

-   -   an arrow shaped extension of the large loop.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a ski boot traction aid wherein the stretchablebodies further comprise:

-   -   elastic.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a ski boot traction aid wherein the stretchablebodies further comprise:

-   -   rubber.

It is therefore another aspect, advantage, objective and embodiment ofthe invention to provide a ski boot traction aid wherein the entire aidand all portions further comprise:

-   -   a single unibody.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a ski boot having a first embodiment of theinvention thereon in the use position. Note that item number 110 is anarrow shaped extension of material, not a reference arrow.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of a ski boot having the first embodiment ofthe invention thereon in the storage position.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of a ski boot having the first embodiment ofthe invention thereon in the storage position.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of a first embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a first embodiment of the invention havingtraction bumps on the bottom of the soles. In FIG. 5, the loops areomitted for clarity.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the first embodiment of the invention havinggrips on the otherwise flat top of the soles. In FIG. 6, the loops areomitted for clarity.

INDEX TO REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   Upper surface of rear projection 86-   Upper surface of front projection 88-   Boot 90-   Upper part of boot 92-   Sole part of boot 94-   Front sole projection 96-   Rear sole projection 98-   Front sole 102-   Vertical projection/sidewall 103-   Rear sole 104-   Boot seat/grip 105-   Traction enhancement 106-   Large loop 108-   Arrow shaped fastener 110—not a direction of motion, nor a reference    arrow-   First, second and third bands 112, 114, 116-   Small loop 118-   Front lip 130-   Rear lip 132

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a side view of a ski boot having a first preferred embodimentof the invention thereon in the use position, while FIG. 4 is across-sectional side view of a first embodiment of the invention, andFIG. 5 is a bottom view of a first embodiment of the invention havingtraction bumps.

Boot 90 has upper part of boot 92 and the sole part of the boot 94. Thejunction of the upper and sole is not uniform. Due to the necessity forski boots to fit into ski bindings, the sole projects beyond the upperat a number of places, particularly front sole projection 96 and rearsole projection 98. Each projection in turn has an upper surface, uppersurface of rear projection 86 and upper surface of front projection 88.

These projections may be used to secure the device to the boot.

Front sole 102 and rear sole 104 may be seen to have not just tractionenhancements (treads, bumps, grooves, etc) 106 but also verticalportions, particularly at the front and back ends. Front and backvertical projections/sidewalls 103 (see FIG. 6) are depicted assidewalls which carry around three sides of the soles, but may surroundless of the circumference than that in embodiments. Boot seat/grip 105is the substantially flat area on the upper side of the soles and withinthe vertical projections: the boot toe and heel will sit onto this flatarea. However, this area may have grips 105 on it which allow the skiboot to get better traction on the upper surface of the sole. (Grips 105should not be confused with the traction enhancements 106 which are onthe bottom of the two soles.)

First, second and third bands 112, 114, 116 connect the two soles.

Front lip 130 and rear lip 132, best seen in FIG. 4, actually partiallyenclose the insides of the ends of the soles. The reason for this isshown in FIG. 1, with the device in the position of use. The lips 130and 132 will overlap the upper surfaces of the sole projections, 86 and88, and thus will hold the device very securely in place. Note that thisin turn allows the device to be made of a more elastic material, whichin turn makes it easier to get on and off than prior art devices.

When the device is in use, the skier can easily see the elastic/rubberbrim running along the edge of the boot above or along the actual soleof the boot. In addition, donning and removing the device is quite easy,even encumbered: the skier may insert either end in the foot or heel, asappropriate, of the boot and then stretch the rest over the other end ofthe boot. In embodiments, the device may be “double ended” with a lessspecific “foot shape” to the tread, so that either end may go onto thetoe or heel of the boot.

Secure attachments of the parts to each other may be achieved usingsewing/stitching, adhesives, bonding, vulcanizing, riveting, andcombinations thereof. One embodiment presently preferred has a unibodyconstruction made by molding, injection molding, compression molding,extrusion or the like, using a rubbery material.

The device still functions as a ski boot sole protector, even without acomplete sole from front to back because the intermediate portion of theski boot sole is less prone to damage, tends to be higher off of theground than the ski boot toe and heel portions, and because thethickness of the traction aid sole will separate the ski boot soleintermediate portion from the ground surface in the area between thefront and rear soles.

The ski boot sole intermediate portion does not normally engage a skibinding in any case, so if were to become damaged it would not impactsafety or the interface and physical connection to the ski.

Metal or hard traction aids such as studs, nails, spikes or the like maybe used in alternative embodiments. Note that alternative embodimentshaving no metal/hard aids such as studs, spikes, nails or the likeprojecting from the bottom of the sole are preferred over otheralternative embodiments having such sharp traction aids, but both suchtypes of embodiments fall within the scope of the invention. The reasonfor this is that such relatively sharp traction aids render the deviceless safe when carried in the interior pockets: it may rip the lining,or should a skier take a spill with the device in a pocket, the skiermay be injured by metal/hard traction aids poking through to the skin.Similarly, when the device is deployed around the ankle of a ski boot,hard projections like studs might present a threat to other skiers,especially in the event of a spill or wipeout. However, the alternativeembodiments may be preferable for increased traction on icier surfacesor packed snow surfaces.

In this embodiment, the construction of the device may be a unibodyconstruction in which the soles and the web of materials are allinjection molded from a material such as a durable rubber, a somewhatelastic form of polymer or the like, a single body of fabric withelastic properties or the like. It is anticipated that unibodyconstruction in which all soles and elastic rims, webs and so on are alla single piece will reduce manufacturing costs, making this aspect apreferred embodiment for this purpose.

It will be understood that embodiments may have a body or network orcords all having a stretched length, the stretched length sufficient toallow it to pass over the vertical thickness of ski boot soles at leastat the heel and/or toe and in alternative embodiments all the way aroundthe ski boot sole.

Large loop 108 is located at the front or rear of one sole. Note thatthe large loop has an extension shaped like an arrow, that is itemnumber 110 is an arrow shaped extension of material, not a referencearrow nor a direction of movement nor motion.

Arrow shaped fastener 110 is dimensioned and configured to pass easilythrough small loop 118 located at the opposite end of the device asshown in FIG. 3. The barbs of the arrow shaped fastener 110 then engagethe smaller loop and hold the device in a rolled up configuration. FIG.2 is a left side view of a ski boot having the first embodiment of theinvention thereon in the storage position, FIG. 3 is a right side viewof a ski boot having the first embodiment of the invention thereon inthe storage position.

When a skier gets to the top of a slope, they may easily remove thedevices from their boots and then wrap them around the upper part of theski boot as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, or around a body part such as an armor the like. Arrow shaped extension 110 will physically engage to smallloop 118 to hold the device in place, with the soles and bands wrappedsnugly about the boot, leg or arm.

Arrow shaped fastener 110 also serves an additional function as anindicia. In particular, the prior art known (such as the U.S. Pat. No.6,044,578 reference cited in the Background, similar products on themarket and so on) all suffer from the deficiency of being somewhatandrogynous of appearance as to front and back, yet the differencebetween front and back is sufficient that most such devices will not fitnor work properly if the user attempts to install them wrong way round.Since the typical skier is cold, in the snow, wearing goggles andwrapped up against the elements, large indicia are called for. Havingthe large loop, with an arrow, pointing to one end of the device,greatly increases the skier's ability to sort it out quickly forwearing.

The disclosure is provided to allow practice of the invention by thoseskilled in the art without undue experimentation, including the bestmode presently contemplated and the presently preferred embodiment.Nothing in this disclosure is to be taken to limit the scope of theinvention, which is susceptible to numerous alterations, equivalents andsubstitutions without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. The scope of the invention is to be understood from theappended claims.

1. A ski boot traction aid for ski boots having large soles dimensionedand configured to accept a ski binding and thus having substantialprojections of the sole beyond the upper at the front end and rear endof the boot, the traction aid comprising: a stretchable body dimensionedand configured to exceed the size of such ski boot sole at the front andrear ends of the boot; the body having front and rear soles, the solesconnected by at least three stretchable bands attached to both front andrear soles; a front lip of the body at a top end of a front projectionof the front sole, the front lip disposed at the top of such projectionat the front end of the boot when the device is in use on the boot, theelastic strong enough to hold the stretchable body securely to such skiboot sole; a rear lip of the body at a top end of a rear projection ofthe rear sole, the rear lip disposed at the top of such projection atthe rear end of the boot when the device is in use on the boot, theelastic strong enough to hold the stretchable body securely to such skiboot sole; a large loop attached to the traction aid at one end, theloop large enough to allow easy manipulation by an individual wearingbulky ski gloves; a tread attached to at least one side of the soles,the tread being a material flexible enough to roll up when not in use.2. The ski boot traction aid of claim 1, wherein the front and rearsoles further comprise: a plurality of irregularities on bottom surfacesto increase traction.
 3. The ski boot traction aid of claim 1, furthercomprising: a large fastener portion of the large loop, the fastenerportion having a thicker head and a thinner body; and a small loopdisposed on the end of the aid distal the large loop, the thicker headof the large loop, when passed through the small loop, holding thedevice in a rolled up configuration.
 4. The ski boot traction aid ofclaim 3, the large fastener further comprising: an arrow shapedextension of the large loop.
 5. The ski boot traction aid of claim 1wherein the stretchable bodies further comprise: elastic.
 6. The skiboot traction aid of claim 1 wherein the stretchable bodies furthercomprise: rubber.
 7. The ski boot traction aid of claim 1, wherein theentire aid and all portions further comprise: a single unibody.